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Wildling

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates

The nickname Ginger the Annihilator came from one of my Karate instructors, and no one in Jiu-Jitsu has ever given me a nickname, then on Monday when I was rolling with Tumbleweed, he called me Khaleesi, but I’m pretty sure that I am not immune to fire, and it’s not something I really want to test, considering how hot I was during the advanced classes with the warm weather this week. I actually think I’m more like Ygritte than Daenerys, because besides the fact that she’s a ginger, I’m totally into being free, and I often tell my husband that he knows nothing! I also don’t have any want or need for titles and power, so Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, etc., isn’t really for me.

I’ve spent so long getting crushed in BJJ that I began to feel my warrior spirit being reduced to an ember, and there were times when I just wanted to put the damn thing out and be done with it, but with the recent rise in my confidence, I’ve been feeling the flame rekindle and grow. It’s not even about my abilities, because I know I still have a lifetime of things left to learn, I’ve just been remembering why I became enamored with grappling in the first place, and trying to appreciate every bit of my journey, even my struggles. Most people will never test themselves in the ways that I have, and while I may not be able to walk through the BJJ fire and remained unscathed, I don’t think anything makes me feel more free than Jiu-Jitsu.

“It’s dangerous being free, but most come to like the taste o’ it.” –Ygritte the Wildling